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This is an update from a few years ago.
Don’t we all love Halloween? It is so much fun, but we need to be careful for our cats.
Some candy can be toxic to cats. How can something so wonderful be dangerous?
Chocolate especially the darker types is toxic to cats. Chocolate has caffeine and theobromine. When ingested, these two ingredients can lead to various medical complications and may even prove fatal for your cat.
The artificial sweetener, xylitol is also toxic to cats. The ingestion of xylitol primarily affects insulin release throughout the body. Xylitol causes the release of insulin from the pancreas into circulation leading to a rapid decrease of blood glucose levels. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can occur within 30 to 60 minutes of xylitol ingestion. This hypoglycemia can lead to liver toxicity, liver damage, and ultimately liver failure.
Xylitol is perfectly safe for people, but because of different metabolisms, it can be fatal for dogs and cats.
So be careful to not let candy be lying around or fall out of your trick or treat bag
Clikc here for a link to the ASPCA hotline
Some cats love to play and then eat dangling decorations. Just make sure the decorations are out of reach. Vomiting is the most common sign of foreign bodies. We want to be sure you do not spend the holiday in the emergency room. Although we think of this more during the winter holidays, there are those of us who go all out for Halloween too. Be sure and stop by the clinic to see the decorations in effect.
If you have outdoor cats, you may want to consider limiting their outdoor time during this period. This is especially true for black cats. Unfortunately, not everyone loves cats as much as we do.
You may want to consider a Feliway plug-in during the holiday. Lots of strange people coming to your door may frighten your cat and put them in seclusion. There are other anti-anxiety options including over the counter products such as anxitane.
Another new over the counter product is Zylkene. This is a milk casein product and does not require a prescription. There are a couple of dietary considerations, Royal Canin has a diet called Calm, and Hill’s has c/d stress.
You may want to discuss using Gabapentin with your veterinarian to help with the most anxiety driven days.
Be on the look out for a costume photo contest.
Have a safe and fun holiday.